Veterans honored at Forest Lawn by young and old

By Nathaniel AxtellTimes-News Staff Writer

Monday

Nov 11, 2013 at 5:38 PM

When Flat Rock resident Jim Fox returned from Vietnam in the late 1960s, there was no ticker tape parade welcoming him home.

When Flat Rock resident Jim Fox returned from Vietnam in the late 1960s, there was no ticker tape parade welcoming him home. No one stopped him on the street and thanked him for his role in the fight against communism. "There was a time when I wouldn't have worn this," Fox said, gesturing to his "Vietnam Veteran" ball cap adorned with a U.S. Marine Corps pin. So when a young man approached Fox following a Veterans Day ceremony Monday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, helped him put away his folding camp chair and thanked him for his service, it made his day."It means to me that, finally, somebody appreciates it," Fox said.The nation's 22.6 million living vets are found in every walk of life, said master of ceremonies R. Shuford Edmisten, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 520."We are your friends," Edmisten said. "We are your family, your co-workers and your neighbors. It is up to us to ensure that every veteran feels that his or her service to our country is appreciated by their fellow Americans."As American flags fluttered overhead, Edmisten also urged the roughly 200 people in attendance to "remember the price that has been paid for our freedom and offer your support, as always, to the loved ones that we have left behind."Local members of the Gold Star Mothers joined Terry and Tina Varnadore of Mills River in laying a wreath to honor sons and daughters who lost their lives in combat. It was one of more than 20 wreaths laid in honor of the fallen by groups ranging from the American Legion to the WNC Patriot Guard Riders.The Varnadores lost their son, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Terry Lee Varnadore II, 29, when his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan in 2011. Terry Varnadore Sr. said his son always dreamed of being a helicopter pilot."He worked in the public sector for a couple of years, and then he and wife came over one day and he said, 'Mom and Dad, I joined the Army,' " recalled Tina Varnadore. "And I'm like, 'No!' But he was happy. He was doing what he wanted to do.""He is our hero and he's our country's hero," added Terry Varnadore Sr. "And he has two beautiful daughters, Ava and Leila."Edmisten thanked the many young people who came out to help honor America's veterans, which included Army and Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from three county high schools and members of the Hawks 4-H Club.Lindsey Bryant, 12, of Etowah was one of the 4-Hers who arrived at Forest Lawn at 8 a.m. Monday to prepare the grounds for the ceremony."We went around and placed small (American) flags on all the graves of those who've served our country," Bryant said.Men and women join the armed services for a variety of reasons, guest speaker Sheriff Charlie McDonald said.Whether for noble reasons, under conscription or simply to escape the drudgery or decay of home life, McDonald said all veterans share citizenship in "the greatest and most powerful nation in the world." They also form a "brotherhood of shared values and traditions, sufferings and sacrifice," he said.In 1972, McDonald said he joined the Navy at the age of 17, which required the consent of his parents. His folks "were more than a little excited" to sign his enlistment paperwork, making him a ward of Uncle Sam, McDonald said, describing his younger self as "headstrong and rebellious.""Getting Mom and Dad to let me join the Navy during the final years of the Vietnam conflict seemed like a major coup to me," he said. "I think it was in boot camp in Orlando, Florida — as I was separated from my dingo boots, favorite patched jeans, denim jacket and my shoulder-length hair — that I realized that they were much slyer and much smarter than I had ever given them credit for."Our forefathers showed unselfish resolve in defending American independence, leaving "town, farm and family" to fight for freedom, McDonald said. Those of the "Greatest Generation" felt so compelled to "do their part" that many lied in order to enlist. But others joined the military for less altruistic reasons, he said.These soldiers saw the armed forces as a "way to escape the dead-end of a life in the coal mines, or life on the farm. Some to flee the decay and despair of the inner city, or perhaps only in an effort to dodge the inevitable consequences of past poor choices, like dropping out of high school," McDonald said.Others were compelled to join because they couldn't "endure safety, comfort and pleasure while others stood in harm's way and fought in their stead," McDonald said. Pro football player Pat Tillman, who turned down a $3.6 million offer and instead enlisted in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, personified that character, he said.Regardless of their motives, McDonald said, "America has endured because good men and women have always found reason to step up for her cause." Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.

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